The Water Resources Department (WRD) has allocated Rs 1.4 crore and commenced work to rehabilitate Mavadikulam tank, Trichy city's largest waterbody spanning over 142 acres in Ponmalaipatti. While the department is removing aquatic weeds and prosopis juliflora from the tank bed, the uninterrupted inflow of sewage from nearby residential areas into the tank threatens to undermine the objectives of the expensive drive.
Key Features of Mavadikulam Tank
Mavadikulam tank is fed by the New Kattalaimettu canal that branches off from the Cauvery River near Mayanur check dam. The tank once had about 300 acres of ayacut (irrigated land) and serves as a key groundwater recharging source for several residential neighborhoods in Ponmalai and Railway Colony areas. As the tank had been in a dilapidated state for years, WRD has been clearing its bed using funds from the mines department. Strengthening the bund on all sides and redeveloping the existing walking tracks are also planned.
Rehabilitation Plans
We will increase the bunds' height too. In some areas, new bund formation will be taken up. Work will conclude by August, a senior WRD official said. The rehabilitation plan will consider extending the existing walking track. The bund abutting MK Kottai road has a walking track for about 1,000 metres, and the renovation work may extend it by 200 metres.
Sewage Inflow Concerns
Without stopping the sewage inflow, there is no point in spending money on the Mavadikulam tank redevelopment work. Within a few months, weeds will germinate again, said K C Neelamegam, an environmental activist from Ponmalai. Acknowledging the pollution, WRD said they have urged Trichy corporation to stop sewage from polluting the tank.
In 2020, WRD undertook a beautification project at the tank for Rs 1.9 crore. Leisure boating was planned, but the project failed to take off due to sewage inflow, which continues to date. Once the underground drainage project phases II and III are commissioned, the inflow of wastewater into the tank will be plugged and diverted to the covered sewage network. We will complete it in six months, a Trichy corporation official said.
